Top 10 Sovereign Wealth Fund Game-Changers of 2014

January 4, 2015

Smart beta, healthcare investing, private equity, institutional real estate and multi-asset strategies were some popular themes for institutional investors in 2014. Highlighting the importance of sovereign investors, sovereign wealth funds surpassed US$ 7 trillion in assets, being a bigger investor market, in terms of asset under management, compared to U.S. defined-benefit plans. Year over year, more sovereign wealth funds are engaging in direct transactions and participating in co-investments with private equity funds, pensions and specialist investors. According to SWFI’s proprietary Sovereign Wealth Fund Transaction Database, funds like Singapore’s GIC Private Limited and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) have contributed to boosting direct deals in the world of SWFs. Our staff has formed a list of the top ten game-changers that will set the pace for sovereign wealth funds in 2015.

10.) Real Estate Investment in Asian Emerging Markets
With greater frequency, sovereign wealth funds have been allocating toward real estate in emerging markets in Asian countries such as India, Indonesia and Malaysia. Even massive Canadian pension giants like CPPIB have been investing in Indian real estate. In February, CPPIB Credit Investments Inc., a subsidiary of CPPIB, and Piramal Enterprises Limited agreed to a deal for providing rupee debt financing to residential developments across India’s urban corridors. In November, GIC Private Limited entered into a deal with Rajawli Group, an Indonesian developer, to jointly invest up to US$ 500 million in equity toward Indonesian property projects.

9.) More Sovereign Wealth Funds Embracing Smart Beta
A number of sophisticated institutional investors like Norway’s sovereign wealth fund are alienating traditional fund managers for specialist funds and strategies. Globally, more sovereign wealth funds are taking a greater look at smart beta or factor-based strategies. In September, New Mexico State Investment Council (NMSIC) embarked on a search for one or more smart beta managers to manage US$ 1 billion. Learn more about our smart beta study: here

8.) Ground Game in America
A number of sovereign funds dialed back investments in emerging markets such as Mubadala Development Co. Deal data from SWFI’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Transaction Database astutely pointed out that America was in vogue financially speaking in 2014. With more investment activity in the U.S., sovereign wealth funds have begun augmenting staff, forging alliances and hiring advisors. In June, Temasek Holdings opened a New York office to complement offices in Mexico City and São Paulo. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund hired more people in New York, adding to its real estate capabilities.

7.) Sovereign Wealth Centers on Successful Startups
Sovereign wealth funds are investing in some of the most popular late-stage startups covered by trend technology blogs such as TechCrunch, PandoDaily and Re/code. [Content protected for Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute Standard subscribers only.Please subscribe to view content. ]

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